2 Chronicles 16:2 kjv
Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,
2 Chronicles 16:2 nkjv
Then Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-Hadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying,
2 Chronicles 16:2 niv
Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the LORD's temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus.
2 Chronicles 16:2 esv
Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the LORD and the king's house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying,
2 Chronicles 16:2 nlt
Asa responded by removing the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace. He sent it to King Ben-hadad of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus, along with this message:
2 Chronicles 16 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Kgs 15:18 | Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house and delivered them into the hand of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus... | Parallel account, confirming Asa's action. |
| 2 Chr 14:11 | Asa cried to the Lord his God, "O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you." | Contrast with Asa's prior reliance on God. |
| 2 Chr 16:7-9 | At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because you relied on the king of Syria and did not rely on the Lord your God, you have acted foolishly..." | Hanani's rebuke and consequences of Asa's action. |
| Psa 20:7 | Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. | Emphasis on trusting God, not worldly power. |
| Jer 17:5 | Thus says the Lord: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord." | Divine warning against relying on human strength. |
| Isa 31:1 | Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord! | Condemnation of seeking foreign alliances. |
| Hos 8:9-10 | For they have gone up to Assyria, a wild donkey wandering alone; Ephraim has hired lovers... they shall soon writhe under the burden of kings and princes. | Consequences of seeking foreign alliances. |
| Prov 3:5-6 | Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. | Contrast to Asa leaning on own understanding. |
| Psa 33:16-17 | The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. | Emphasizes God's sovereign power over human might. |
| 2 Kgs 12:18 | Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred gifts that his fathers, Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated... and sent them to Hazael king of Syria. | Other kings improperly using temple treasures. |
| 2 Kgs 16:8 | Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house and sent a present to the king of Assyria. | Another instance of desecrating sacred funds. |
| Dan 5:2-3 | Belshazzar... commanded that the gold and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. | Desecration of temple vessels as judgment. |
| Rom 1:21-23 | For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened... exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man... | A heart turning from God's wisdom to human schemes. |
| 1 Cor 10:1-5 | For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud... But with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. | Historical examples of God's people failing. |
| Heb 11:6 | And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. | The necessity of faith, which Asa lacked here. |
| 1 Sam 8:5-7 | "Give us a king to judge us like all the nations." But the thing displeased Samuel... The Lord said... "They have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them." | Seeking human solutions over God's reign. |
| 2 Chr 20:3-4 | Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord... And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. | Righteous example of seeking God in crisis. |
| Luke 12:15 | And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." | Worldly treasures as a source of reliance. |
| Matt 6:24 | No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. | Loyalty divided between God and material things. |
| Deut 17:16 | Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order that he might acquire many horses, for the Lord has said to you, 'You shall not return that way again.' | Warnings against reliance on foreign military might. |
| Phil 4:19 | And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. | God's provision for His people. |
2 Chronicles 16 verses
2 Chronicles 16 2 Meaning
2 Chronicles 16:2 details King Asa's decision to form an alliance with Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, against King Baasha of Israel. To secure this alliance, Asa took sacred silver and gold from the treasuries of both the Temple of the Lord and his own royal palace, sending them as tribute to Ben-Hadad. This action signifies a profound shift from Asa's earlier, Spirit-led dependence on God to a reliance on political maneuvering and foreign strength in the face of conflict.
2 Chronicles 16 2 Context
This verse is part of the record of King Asa's reign in Judah. Chapters 14 and 15 present Asa as a king committed to the Lord, reforming the nation, destroying idols, and rebuilding cities. His faith in God led to a decisive victory against a vast Cushite army (2 Chr 14:9-15). Chapter 16, however, marks a spiritual decline. King Baasha of Israel fortifies Ramah, strategically cutting off Judah. Instead of relying on the Lord as he had successfully done before, Asa, now 36 years into his reign, resorts to a human scheme: purchasing the allegiance of Ben-Hadad of Aram to draw him away from his treaty with Israel. This tactical choice, involving the temple treasury, sets the stage for the prophet Hanani's severe rebuke in the verses immediately following, condemning Asa's lack of faith and warning of future wars.
2 Chronicles 16 2 Word analysis
- Then Asa brought out (
וַיֹּצֵא אָסָא-wayyotse' 'Asa): The verb "brought out" (Hiphil stem) suggests an intentional, decisive act by Asa. This is not an accidental or forced transaction, but a deliberate policy decision, signifying a turning point in his reign. It highlights his agency in deviating from faith. - silver and gold (
כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב-kesef v'zahav): These terms represent significant material wealth, symbols of power and value. The text specifies their origin, which is crucial. - from the treasuries (
מֵאֹצְרוֹת-me'otsrot): Refers to stored valuables. The implication is that these were significant reserves, yet not to be depleted without divine approval, especially for consecrated items. - of the house of the Lord (
בֵּית יְהוָה-bet YHWH): This is the Temple treasury, which held donations and consecrated items intended for the service of God and the upkeep of His sanctuary. Taking from this treasury for a military-political alliance with a pagan king indicates a significant compromise of reverence and sacred trust. It reveals a diminished view of God's providence and sanctity. - and of the king’s house (
וּבֵית הַמֶּלֶךְ-u'vet hammelekh): The royal treasury, legitimate for the king's use. The problem isn't using royal funds, but combining them with sacred temple funds and directing all for a policy driven by lack of faith. - and sent them (
וַיִּשְׁלָחֵם-wayyishlakhem): A direct verb, reinforcing Asa's active and deliberate initiation of this alliance. - to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus (
אֶל בֶּן הֲדַד מֶלֶךְ אֲרָם הַיּוֹשֵׁב בְּדַמֶּשֶׂק-'el Ben-Hadad melekh 'Aram hayyoshev b'Dammeseq): This identifies the foreign recipient. Aram (Syria) was a powerful, pagan neighbor. Forming an alliance with such a nation, especially involving sacred temple funds, instead of relying on God, was forbidden and demonstrated a lack of trust in God's power and sovereignty. Damascus was Aram's capital and a major political/economic center. - saying, (
לֵאמֹר-le'mor): Standard phrase introducing direct speech or a message, indicating the terms of the alliance are about to be specified.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house": This phrase details the source of the tribute. The inclusion of "the house of the Lord" is critical. Asa had previously cleansed the Temple (2 Chr 15:8), but now he compromises its sanctity by diverting its dedicated resources for secular political ends. This mirrors similar actions by other kings (e.g., Ahaz in 2 Kgs 16:8) and foreshadows the eventual destruction due to desecration. It signifies a profound decline from the faith he demonstrated in the war with Zerah the Cushite, where he solely cried out to God (2 Chr 14:11).
- "and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus": This reveals the destination and purpose of the wealth. Sending treasure to a foreign pagan king for military aid instead of seeking God’s intervention, as he did before (2 Chr 14), highlights Asa’s growing reliance on human strength and worldly alliances. It sets a dangerous precedent for future Judean kings who would increasingly seek aid from formidable neighbors (Assyria, Egypt) rather than Yahweh.
2 Chronicles 16 2 Bonus section
The chronicler often highlights kings' decisions regarding temple treasures as an indicator of their spiritual health and allegiance to the covenant. Righteous kings protect and enrich the temple, while compromised or unfaithful kings raid or misuse its wealth for personal gain, political alliances, or pagan worship. Asa's use of temple treasures to bribe a foreign king suggests a blurring of the sacred and profane, and a failure to remember God's explicit command against trusting in horses, chariots, or foreign powers (Deut 17:16). This decision also represents a missed opportunity for Asa to solidify his early reputation for trust in God, signaling that even long-serving faithfulness is subject to ongoing temptation to rely on one's own means. This act of "sending money" implies a purchase, contrasting sharply with God's free and gracious provision, highlighting the difference between covenant trust and commercial transaction in matters of national security.
2 Chronicles 16 2 Commentary
2 Chronicles 16:2 marks a tragic pivot in King Asa's reign, moving from a period of profound reliance on God to one of political expediency and human strategy. Previously, Asa trusted the Lord entirely, leading to remarkable victory and spiritual reform. Here, facing an apparent threat from Israel's King Baasha, he forsakes the Lord's clear path. His action of taking silver and gold, particularly from the hallowed treasury of the Lord's house, underscores his faltering faith. These funds, consecrated to God, were now treated as common assets to secure a worldly alliance. This act was not merely a pragmatic decision but a theological offense, prioritizing a human solution (a pagan alliance) over divine intervention. This immediate reliance on foreign strength, coupled with the desecration of sacred funds, highlights the ease with which even righteous individuals can backslide, losing sight of God's prior faithfulness and boundless power. Asa chose to lean on visible resources and alliances rather than invisible divine aid, sowing seeds for future divine disapproval and consequences for himself and Judah.